Chef Carissa Tkachyk

Private Chef In Calgary

I am a red seal chef with over 25 years experience in the industry. I am currently a professional cooking instructor. I have worked in hotels, convention centres, fine dining and bistros. I was Alberta Apprentice of the year. Alberta and National Champion in The Chaine des Rotisseurs Jeune Commis competition Canada and fourth place in the International Competition. My strength is creating customized menus to suit individual tastes. I would describe my cooking as classically French trained, with ethnic influences, using seasonal and local ingredients as much as possible.

For me, cooking is...

My passion, my lifestyle and my joy

I learned to cook at...

Southern institute of technology in Calgary

A cooking secret...

Cook with passion, using seasonal, fresh ingredients.

My menus

Summer BBQ

STARTER

All inclusive

Watermelon salad with feta and cucumber

Fresh baked focaccia bread with herb butter

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled vegetable platter

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

Grilled steak( your choice of cut) with sauces ( choose two: chipotle aioli , chimmichuri, brandy peppercorn , fresh tomato salsa

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Espresso panna cotta with grand marnier berries, almond cookie crumble

Amaretto creme brûlée with summer berries

Individual lemon curd tartlet with raspberry coulis

Individual dark chocolate caramel tart with creme anglaise

A very French summer

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Ahi tuna crude with lemon , caper and herb vinaigrette

Classic beef tartare with hand cut potato chips

Proscuitto wrapped melon with buratta cheese, white balsamic glaze/mint

St. Andre cheese with summer berry compote, crostini

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Chilled cucumber soup with crab

Cucumber wrapped field greens with champagne vinaigrette

Pan seared scallops with melon salsa

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Cornish hen duo, confit leg, pan roast breast , potato pave, orange tarragon veloute, asparagus

Mustard- herb crusted rack of lamb, burgundy jus, potato gratinFrench beans

Pan seared beef tenderloin medallion, , roast lobster tail, bearnaise sauce,, asparaguschateau potato, f

Pan roasted halibut on a bed of french lentils and kale, champagne beurre blanc

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Creme brulee duo : Chocolate and vanilla bean mini creme brûlées with berries

Chocolate pot du creme with grand marnier berries

Espresso panna cotta with grand marnier marinated berries , ammaretti cookie crumble

South American Stampede

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Citrus scented tuna tartare with mango and avocado, plantain chips . Veg option, black bean, mango and avocado tower with plantain chips

Pan seared jumbo scallops with corn succotash, veggie option, sub halloumi cheese

Beef carpaccio with jicama, lime cumin vinaigrette. Veg option, watermelon carpaccio with jicama salad

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Chilled gazpacho with crab. Veg option, sub cojita cheese for crab

Fire roasted corn and poblano soup with queso fresco cheese

Field greens with toasted pumpkin seeds, papaya and shaved manchego in a sherry vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Coffee spice rubbed beef tenderloin medallion with fresh tomato relish, yam puree

Ancho chili scented rack of lamb with chimmichuri, butternut squash purée, zucchini

Deconstructed paella: chorizo sausage and seafood topped la bomba rice in a rich tomato based sauce

Vegetarian option: deconstructed paealla with plant based sausage, vegetables and beans

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Coconut creme brûlée with tropical fruits

Mexican spiced chocolate caramel tart with creme anglaise

Tres leches cake with berries

Tapas party

STARTER

All inclusive

Crudite platter with creamy feta dip

Manchego cheese cups with goats cheese mousse and black olive tapenade

Chilled gazpacho with shrimp

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Serrano ham wrapped melon with white balsamic glaze and mint

Scallop ceviche in cucumber cups

Chorizo sausage and potato skewers with Spanish paprika and roast garlic aioli

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Proscuitto, caramelized onion and cambazola flatbread with balsamic glaze

Spiced lamb meatballs with tomato chutney

Chicken empanadas with cilantro- lime crema

DESSERT

All inclusive

South American inspired summer

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Scallop ceviche with plantain chips

Bolivian chicken empanada with smoky tomato salsa

Shrimp tostone with avocado purée and lime pickled cabbage

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Chilled gazpacho soup with crab

Field greens with roasted corn, pepitas and heirloom tomatoes in a lime cumin vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Coffee spice rubbed beef tenderloin medallion with yam purée and fresh tomato salsa

Grilled chicken with chimmichuri and black bean and corn salad

Pan roasted salmon with cilantro- lime rice and watermelon salsa

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Coconut creme brûlée with tropical fruits

Mexican spiced chocolate caramel tart with creme anglaise

Cooking lesson

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Traditional bruschetta with gluten free crostini

Baked proscuitto wrapped prawns with basil cream sauce

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Italian wedding soup

Minestrone

Homemade Caesar salad

Traditional caprese salad

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Braised beef braciole with polenta

GF chicken Parmesan with herb risotto

Pan seared beef tenderloin medallion, truffle butter, broccolini, mushroom shaped roast potatoes

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Espresso OR vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries

Flourless Italian chocolate almond cake with raspberry coulis

Spring inspired by Asia (GF)

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Raw tuna with sesame - miso vinaigrette

Beef tataki with ponzu aioli

Lemon grass poached jumbo prawns with edamame purée/ pickled vegetables

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Carrot ginger soup with cilantro oil and lotus root chips, black sesame

Pan seared jumbo scallops in a Thai coconut green curry broth

Mixed tender greens with coconut anise vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Sichuan peppercorn crusted rack of lamb, star anise scented au jus, sweet potato purée/chinese broccoli

Seared beef tenderloin with garlic tamari butter, pickled bell peppers on a bed of sautéed baby bok choy

Roast duck breast , 5 spice pan jus, duck confit, white sweet potato purée, braised Asian greens

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Lychee creme brûlée with berries

Green tea Panna Cotta with mango, kiwi and dragon fruit

French summer

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Classic beef tartare with hand cut potato chips

Fresh shucked oysters with shallot mignonette

Pan seared scallops with lobster sauce, pea shoots

Salmon ceviche with lime marinated beets and horseradish cream

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Chilled cucumber soup with crab

Asparagus and brie soup with brioche croutons

Field greens with goat cheese fritter, cherries, honey hazelnuts, hazelnut vinaigrette

Baby spinach and arugula with feta and watermelon, basil vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Hazelnut crusted rack of lamb , Marsala jus, potato celeriac purée, spring vegetable medley

Pan seared beef tenderloin medallion , brandy peppercorn sauce, chateau potato, asparagus

Pan seared halibut, lemon caper beurre blanc, pomme anna, garden beans

Cornish hen two ways, pan seared breast, confit leg, orange tarragon jus, potato celeriac puree, zucchini and carrot, tournant

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Vanilla bean creme brûlée with fresh berries

Chocolate pot du crème with grand marnier. errors, almond cookie crumble

Dark chocolate caramel tart with crème anglaise, summer berries

Lemon curd tart with berry coulis, toasted meringue

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Chef Carissa's reviews

4.78

•

100 services

Carissa was amazing. The food was amazing. The overall experience was better than expected. I would love to do it again and again and again......

Great experience, will definitely book again!

Carissa was exceptional in every way, would highly recommend her. The night start with a couple kids that didn’t want to fall asleep right away, and Carissa was so accommodating with the timing so that we were all able to enjoy dinner.

Chef Carissa was outstanding. Menu fit exactly what we asked for, food was great, very nicely presented. Can’t wait to eat their food again!

Chef Carissa was great! Very experienced! The food was amazing! My family thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Chef Carissa created an inventive menu that proved to be even more delicious than its description. Carissa was able to accommodate several dietary restriction, while maintaining a wonderfully cohesive theme. The food was fantastic, the presentation was beautiful, and the service was impeccable. Our party was a group of well travelled foodies, all of whom were very impressed with Chef Carissa's culinary instincts and execution. Every course was well beyond expectation, creating a most memorable meal. The food was described well, without our party ever feeling that we were being interrupted or intruded upon. And the kitchen was spotless when Chef and her colleague left. I highly recommend Chef Carissa for any group looking for great food and service.

Chef Carissa was wonderful. She was much on time, on the ball and did beautiful presentations. The food was very good and you could tell she is an expert at gourmet dishes. I revised the menu slightly and she was very easy going to alter and tailor my requests. I would highly recommend her and I would hire her again in the future! You won't be disappointed with this Chef.

Chef Carissa was super nice and professional. The food was unbelievable.

Carissa knows what shes doing in the kitchen! I had a party of 12 and asked her for a ten plate tasting menu and she did amazing. Each dish was unique and delicious. My group really enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend her to anyone wanting to try a chef at home! Thanks Carissa!

Carissa was amazing. She was conversational but didn’t overdo it. Smiled a lot. Could sense her passion for being a chef.

This was an incredible evening that I couldn't recommend enough to anyone thinking about trying. The entire experience was smooth and easy to navigate, I gave some basics as to what I was looking for and Chef Carissa did the rest. She had multiple options and provided feedback along the way. The night of was great we could sit back and relax as she prepped and got things ready and then once dinner was prepared everything was wonderful. The food and attention to detail with the presentation was amazing. If your looking for a fine dinning option as home this is it, from wiping the plates down before serving to make sure there wasn't any stray spots of sauce to even offering up wine pairing suggestions if that's your thing. She was easy to talk to and I can not recommend her enough. You won't be disappointed.

Chef Tkachyk was superb in every respect. Highly recommend.

We had a very positive experience with Chef Carissa. Our family had some food restrictions which I thought may make the chefs job harder. With the menu selection we got to choose from that wasn't the case. We communicated mainly by email from the website and answered any questions we had. She was on time and even while preping the food was chatty which was nice, we had lots of questions about what she was preparing and how. The meal was delicious and the portion sizes were spot on. All I had to do was set the table and have the dishes set out for her. Once the meal was done I was suprised that the kitchen was clean, in our house we have a rule who cooks doesn't clean but was very suprised it was cleaned up, we really appreciated that. Chef was very nice and chatty presented the meals so we knew what was served and we liked that she even mentioned the farmers markets that she got some ingredients from. Overall a very pleasant experience and would highly recommend Chef Carissa to everyone.

We had a romantic dinner for two for our first anniversary. Carissa Tkachyk was our Chef. We asked her for a French menu and she provided us with a number of excellent options for each course. We chose the scallops with minted pea puree to start, next a salad of greens and for the main the beef tenderloin with roasted lobster, asparagus and chateaux potatoes. The dessert was chocolate pot au creme with berries. She provided an amuse bouche of watermelon with prosciutto and basil and a lemoncello sorbet as a palate cleanser. Carissa did an amazing job in all respects. Starting with a fantastic menu, high quality ingredients, beautiful presentation and of course she is a marvelous chef. Her food was absolutely delicious. She arrived promptly and everything went seamlessly after that. We would highly recommend her. Heather and Glenn

Carissa was a delight to work with, very professional and the meal was outstanding. All our guests had a wonderful evening I will definitely recommend her services Thank you

First time we have tried a private Chef experience. Very well done! Chef Carrie was awesome, the food was great and overall we will recommend. Note for improvement! This was gift certificate from my previous employer and had an expiry date. So I had to book the event well in advance to ensure the certificate did not expire. There should be no expiry for gift cards/ certificates issued in Canada as it is illegal to put expiry dates on them. Thanks

What an incredible experience! Food was to die for, and she was professional, kind, and incredibly hard working. Would highly recommend!!!

Chef Carissa was amazing. The food was delicious and it look also very nice. We will defenetly hire her again for another great dinner experience. Thanks for everything Chef Carissa.

Excellent presentation and amazing food experience

Carissa was awesome and her dishes were out of this world amazing. This was the first time we have ever had a chef come in to the house and I would recommend everyone to try this at least once. It was a truly amazing experience.